Anyone can type aimlessly on a blog. In fact, many people do. Those people don’t have goals to achieve, but you’re probably looking to accomplish something with your blog. Whether you’re using your blog to drive conversions or simply to amass an audience that will please your advertisers, there are a few very important things you’ll want to keep in mind before you click “post”.
Know The People You’re Writing For
Look over the content you’ve already created. What posts had the highest amount of engagement? Shares and comments can go a long way in telling you what your readers actually like. Reviewing your analytics will show you which posts got the most traffic. It never hurts to take a page out of your own book.
If you don’t have much content or you’re rebranding, there’s never any shame in asking. People are happy to tell you what they like. If you’re starting a blog for the first time, you can also take a look at what your competitors are successfully doing and put your own personal spin on something similar.
Choose Your Focus And Zero In
What’s trending at this very moment? Are there any important questions you can answer? Is there something everyone is fussing over that you might be able to weigh in on? A little keyword research can help you find ideas for topics. If you see a lot of content with a recurring theme being shared on social media, that may be an avenue worth pursuing.
Once you know for sure what you’d like to cover in your blog post, work it down to something more specific. If everyone is talking about property investment, don’t create a general post. Focus on ways to save enough money to invest cash in a property, or what areas of the country have the best property to invest in. Add more value to the topic.
Set Up The Framework
Create a clear and cohesive outline for your article. Think of it as the skeleton of your post, from the head down to the feet. You want all of your points to support each other, and you want to arrange them in a way that makes sense. Think of every subheading as a step, or a milestone on a journey. You’re taking your readers somewhere, and you want them to enjoy the ride.
Write With A Purpose
Put some life into your writing. You probably don’t like reading cold and technical instruction manuals, and your audience doesn’t either. It’s okay to create a first draft that lacks a little passion, but don’t stop there. Most readers have short attention spans and prefer conversational language. Express what you need to express and quickly and eloquently as possible, and be clear that you’re speaking directly to them.
Charles Bukowski once said of writing: “Each line must be full of a delicious little juice. Flavor. They must be full of power.” While Bukowski definitely wasn’t a blogger, he had the right idea. Ponder that while you’re drafting up your post.
Check Your SEO
Keywords are important in helping Google boost the visibility of your post. Sometimes, less is more. If your article is jammed full of keywords, both Google and your readers will notice. Neither will be happy about it. If you incorporate that keyword into the intro, at least one subheading, and once in the conclusion, you really only need to plug it into the body a few times. Don’t go overboard.
Tell Your Readers What You Need From Them
Most posts have a purpose. What do you want your readers to do when they’re finished? If you have a call to action, don’t forget to include it at the end. Direct links make it easy for your readers to follow through. Just don’t make them work hard to complete the action.
Check Everything Twice
Before the post goes live, give it another read or two. Make sure you didn’t forget anything important. It’s hard to correct an article after tons of people have already seen it, and you don’t want to find yourself in that position. It never hurts to get a friend or coworkers opinion of your post first.
Dress Things Up
Your title and your accompanying images are the first impression readers will get of your blog post. Make them count. Use unique, high quality images that are relevant to your post. Don’t be misleading with your title, but don’t title your post like a research paper. If possible, incorporate a major keyword directly into the title.
Watch What Happens
Review your analytics on a regular basis after you publish the post. The reaction will tell you whether or not you’re correctly appealing to your readers. If you hoped for more than the results you get, there’s always next time. Creating a perfect post every time is something of a learning process, so don’t feel discouraged.
Please contact us today for help with you online presence. Whether you are in Tucson, the state of Arizona or anywhere around the United States, we can help.